Lachlan’s favorite snack is goldfish. One of the few words he knows is fish. He loves the fish tank we have and he loves aquariums. Let’s just say the baby is all around fishy! We wanted to create an imaginative piece where his favorite snack comes to life around him.
We had to prime this very slick surface with chalk paint.Close up of the surface. It was very hard to work on.
It rained most of day one but we worked hard the second day to complete the art just in time. I was focused on drawing the 3D face. It was stretched so that made it complex to draw. What my mind wanted to see was not what I was drawing from my grid.
We were able to get some great shots posing on the goldfish box and the fish.
I had to point out the amazing cake from the artists reception. This is one of my favorite festivals. Everyone was so nice and accommodating. The beautiful chalk cake!
Chipper Jones was recently inducted to the baseball Hall of Fame. This is very exciting to me because he was one of the star players of my generation; it is awesome to see someone I grew up with and admired be recognized.
On the first day we did a demo and let the campers join in where they wanted.
Day two was all about drawing on your own. We asked the campers what they were interested in drawing and printed images for them to reference. Some even sketched out ideas the night before.
I designed a camp themed 3D chalk drawing for the kids to color in on the last day as a final lesson.
Everyone enjoyed coloring in the image. It was challenging to match up the grid with the actual drawing but with some help they all figured it out. The colors were not exact but the campers made it their own and had fun doing it.
Community chalk art based on baseball card designs.Zach led the community workshop. He is so good with kids!Jessi and Cathryn chalking a piece together.
This year at Chalktoberfest I had the honor to recreate an image of one of my favorite artists Johannes Vermeer. I chose to draw Milkmaid. The contrast of blues and yellows add mystery to this work. I really enjoy how vermeer captures everyday life and makes it intriguing. I was hesitant to do the old masters theme but I am glad that I had the chance to put myself in their shoes for a few days. I found myself wondering how Vermeer would approach the creation of this piece. Did he draw the milkmaid first or the room she is in? Was he cold and sore like I was while drawing on the ground for two days? I really enjoyed mixing my blue pastels to create just the one that would cause her to pop off the ground. I never thought much about the process but recreating it really puts it into perspective. I made sure not to crop out the negative space in the top right. It really evokes the mood in the painting.
I had a wonderful time chalking and an even better time reuniting with my fellow artists. Chalk artists from all over the country came to create old master drawings. We spent the evenings playing games and singing. Chalk art was the glue that brought us all together. It is nice to learn from each other. There are many chalk art masters like Joel Yao, Chris Carlson, Bridget Lyons, and the Chalk Guys. So much talent in one spot.
Zach and I were on the news to introduce the festival.
Images of Marietta Chalktoberfest Chalk Art of Vermeer’s Milkmaid
Jessi started off the year in a new office in Midtown. At Razorfish she worked with clients such as AT&T, Delta and she recently helped to launch the new Bridgestontire.com website. She married her one true love in May and went on the trip of a lifetime; read about our travels on ZachandJessi.com. She participated in her first international chalk festival in Sarasota Florida and created many large pieces throughout the year. She had some framed drawings on display in a local art show, Women Who Rock. She influenced some high school girls through the Women in Technology program by showing them what she does and giving them an intro to web design and agency life.
This was a big year for Zach. He started a new job at HUGE still doing QA and now Jessi and Zach work at competing digital agencies. He now can walk to work with his beautiful wife. Zach married his love on May 2nd and took her away to explore foreign lands. When he got back he went to his 11th summer of Camp Sunshine and helped kids with cancer have an awesome week. Zach officiated 6 weddings this year; that’s a record. He successfully took a course in Front End Web Dev and built Daphne a website. He read all the Mrs.Marvel comic books and is plotting to save the world with his Skybears. Zach chalked his own square and has gained some mad hand-lettering skills. Together we hit the ground running with the Georgia Chalk Artists Guild and hope to go to more festivals in 2016.[/one_half]
Our Travels
We visited Thailand and Cambodia as part of our honeymoon. We hiked over mountains, cycled around an island, washed elephants, rode a plane with a propeller, and made new friends in restaurants and minibuses. Check out all the ways we got around below. Back home we found time to travel too. We both spent time in Austin TX for work. Jessi visited her sister Katie in New London Connecticut and Zach went to New Jersey with work. We participated in chalk festivals in Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida. We spent the end of December and New Years Eve in New York City exploring and seeing family and friends.
Do you know how many Daphnes fit into a home? Just one. But I has a lot of friends. This year we’ve had five friends stay with us: Wilbur, Graham, Chauncey, Gambit, and now Willis. They’ve been fun to play with because Maxwell doesn’t like to do back-flips anymore. Today I saw a squirrel. Also, I saw a hawk. That was neat. I love being with my family and chasing balls, do you know what I mean? I can’t wait for the holidays and seeing everyone. -love Daphne
Our Georgia Chalk Artists Guild has grown so much in the year that we have been established. This past Sunday we had our very first Mini Pop Up Chalk Festival. Atlanta Streets Alive is an awesome event backed by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and the city of Atlanta. Peachtree street was closed for a long stretch from Midtown to downtown. They had a bicycle parade and the street was open for people to walk, run, bike and play. The event is meant to encourage individuals to get out of their cars and enjoy the city. We were chosen as a vendor and were very excited for the chance to draw on a road that is never free of traffic. Located right next to the Fox theater we were able to hear Broadway singing as we chalked. Here are some of the highlights…
We started by setting up a sign and putting out some chalks. I planned a few large collaborative drawings for audience participation that Zach managed.
I had invited fellow artists Kristen, Adam and Jaimie to do chalk art demos with me. It was their first time chalking and they really enjoyed trying it out.
Kristen drew a cover to her favorite album.
Kristen’s work in progress
Adam and Jaimie also chalked some nice pieces.
Jaimie’s Jack Skelington
Adam in the zone.
Zach is really great with kids and directing the collaborative pieces. The pop up chalk fest was really about educating the public about using chalk as an art form. Many people were inspired by the process and wanted to chalk.
Chalk artists can be any age
Paul started the witch drawing and gets the hang of it
I kept to my demo most of the time but also got people to help me fill in the orange on the leaf or add some shading.
Marc helps fill in some orange
We really enjoyed a successful day on Peachtree Street making new friends and sharing the craft with so many people. Keep your eyes peeled for more events in the coming months.
If you’re interested in organizing your own event, please reach out to us and we can help you get started.
Passion for chalk art was instilled at an early age. As just a high schooler in 2007, I became a chalk artist when I first drew on the sidewalk at the annual SCAD Street Art Festival. I enjoyed all the talent and the fast paced nature of the event. I was privileged to attend art high school Savannah Arts Academy and received extensive training in the visual arts. The program prepared me to attend an art college.
Growing up in Savannah, the influence was all around me. I had dreams of attending SCAD and eventually made those a reality at the Atlanta campus. I traveled back to Savannah each year to participate in the festival. I still do now as an alumni.
In 2011 I took my skills to the streets chalking for local businesses such as The Melting Pot. Zach Herndon and I would chalk for charity events every weekend. We would create large 20-40 ft drawings. Each one had a theatrical theme for the dinner and show. We enjoyed putting the talent to use in this way. All I wanted to do was chalk more. I applied to chalk at the Marietta Chalk Festival hosted by the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. I was super excited for the opportunity.
Peter Pan Drawing at the Melting Pot Atlanta
I was interviewed by the AJC in preparation for the Marietta Chalk Festival coming up this weekend. Here is a snippet from the article by Jon Waterhouse:
Q: What do you like best about chalk art?
A: I like being outdoors and working with an environment rather than just inside in a studio. It’s a lot nicer to be able to share my art and get the exposure and share it with other people. The chalk pastel medium has always been my preference. It’s fun to blend, easy to work with and your hands get dirty.
Q: What’s your favorite part of the process?
A: It’s kind of a rush knowing that I have this certain amount of time that I need to get this art piece done before it rains or whatever. If it rains, I can come back and do it again. There’s this one piece that I did that was for the Melting Pot restaurant on Peachtree Street. They commissioned me to do one for the “Mamma Mia” show at the Fox (Theatre). They have a charity where they have kids come, eat dinner and go to a show at the Fox, so I would draw for that. The “Mamma Mia” one washed away, so I had to come back the next day and draw it again. Each time I drew it, it was a little bit different.
Q: What are you going to be drawing this weekend?
A: I’m drawing a Civil War scene about Kennesaw Mountain. It’s kind of complicated, so you’re going to have to come out and see it. It’s going to be an Atlanta scene, and I’m going to have a phoenix coming out of the flames, so it’s going to be symbolic as well as visual.
I went to the chalk festival expecting it to be small like the one in Savannah but it was so much bigger with professional chalk artists from all over the southeast US. I quickly realized that I was in over my head but it only fueled my passion. I learned that people travel for chalk art and made that my goal. This was only the beginning.
My unfinished drawing ruined by the rain.
The event rained out but I enjoyed chalking with so many talented people and getting introduced to this chalk world. I plan to continue to grow as an artist and chalk every chance I get.
We visited Thailand and Cambodia as part of our honeymoon. We hiked over mountains, cycled around an island, washed elephants, rode a plane with a propeller, and made new friends in restaurants and minibuses. Check out all the ways we got around below. Back home we found time to travel too. We both spent time in Austin TX for work. Jessi visited her sister 
